


New Game+

by dawnyspirits



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27324568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnyspirits/pseuds/dawnyspirits
Summary: A head of dark curls. A body far smaller than his own. A pair of wings, not only brown but bearing streaks and stripes like a sparrow’s. His features were unique, his face and form unlike no other Lucifer had seen.And then, slowly, as if being awoken from a deep sleep. Red eyes opened."Sandalphon.""...Lucifer."------------------------------------OR: A "What if?" fic in which Sandalphon wakes up in the past.
Relationships: Lucifer/Sandalphon (Granblue Fantasy)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 62





	1. Begin

Today was the day. Lucifer was certain of it. He'd mentioned this to Lucilius yesterday, and in turn his friend had given him the time to keep an eye on the cradle. As soon as the sun had crested the horizon and painted the facilities in light, he'd situated himself in the room with Sandalphon.

And there he sat, until noon when Belial stepped in. Lucifer gave him an acknowledging nod, before turning his focus back to the cradle. As expected, it hovered in place gently, emanating a pleasantly warm heat and the pale glow of white feathers. Nothing had changed.

"They're really not awake yet?" Belial said, looking over the cradle alongside him. Lucifer didn't catch the tone of Belial's remark, and responded plainly.

"Yes, it seems so."

Belial looked at him, his expression dubious and his eyebrow quirked. 

"Nee~ Lucifer- _sama_ , you're really sure it's gonna burst today?" Belial teased, trying to get some kind of rise out of Lucifer. Instead, Lucifer maintained his gaze on the cradle, and nodded.

"I'm certain."

"Well, alright then. I'll go ahead and update 'Cilius on the progress…" Belial shifted his weight from one side, to the other, "or lack thereof."

"Of course." Lucifer said.

"Mm."

Belial took his leave shortly after that, and Lucifer maintained his sentinel position across from the cradle. Sandalphon would emerge today, he was sure. More importantly, he was certain he would not miss it.

Time crawled by for everyone today, it seemed. By mid-afternoon, Lucilius himself came to check on his progress. He entered the room silently, but Lucifer greeted him nonetheless.

"Hello, my friend."

Lucilius observed the cradle clinically, circling it this way and that. When Lucilius reached forward and took a feather in his hand, Lucifer spoke up once more.

"May I ask what you are doing?" 

Lucilius leveled him with his gaze, releasing the feather and letting it fall back in with its brothers.

"I could speed up the process, if you like." Lucilius said.

Admittedly, Lucifer had been wrestling with Lucilius' micromanagement throughout this whole endeavor. And admittedly, Lucifer was eager to see his own creation too. However, this was his task. He didn't want to rush or risk things.

"It is quite alright, my friend. Sandalphon will awake when the time comes."

Lucilius' face twitched, minutely. Then he sighed rather exasperatedly. 

"You had told me it would be _today_." Lucilius stated, the insinuation of it plainly obvious.

"I did, my friend. The day is not yet over."

"Fine." Lucilius made his way back to the door, departing with an "I'll be back later."

And once more, Lucifer sat in silence, his only company in the form of the prenatal angel before him.

Lucifer is almost always doubtful of himself. Lucilius had told him it was something he needed to overcome, lest it become an interfering flaw. But… it is hard. Lucifer started this day, certain of his junior's arrival.

As the spring sunlight filtered into dewy sunset, filling the room with liquid gold, Lucifer was not very sure of himself.

Shortly after the pilot light of their world dwindled into quiet cinders, and the sky had turned a velvet navy, Lucilius and Belial both returned.

Belial whistled.

"I guess this one likes to sleep." He remarked.

"I don't like it when things are late." Lucilius hissed, crossing his arms. Lucifer didn't have anything to say, and therefore said nothing.

And for a while, they sat there in silence, all of them some measure of tense.

Lucifer would be right, wouldn't he? He'd been measuring and tracking the different stages of development at every step. Today was supposed to be the day.

For the first time that day, Lucifer tears his focus from the cradle, glancing listlessly out the window. Whereas this morning the room was illuminated by the sun, now, they were observed by the rising moon- casting a milky light across the room.

"Maybe-" Lucifer started, but whatever he was going to say quickly became irrelevant, as they all felt the pulse of energy from the cradle.

It pulsed once, twice, three times. Each time it increased in brightness, then faded into darkness. Each time, it turned brighter and darker than the last.

"Ah…" Is all Lucifer says, completely taken by the sight. Lucilius opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly hushed when Belial gently took his shoulder and began ushering him out of the way.

It went unsaid, this was a moment that didn't belong to them. As much as that irritated Lucilius.  


Then, the feathers of the cradle began to tremble, and the mass below them began to flex and shift. The room was filled with the glow of genesis, the light bathed their surroundings in warmth and sun. Slowly, the feathers began to open up. 

Belial inhaled in quiet surprise when he saw deep brown filling out from within the cradle. Lucilius' eyes widened, but he otherwise stayed silent. Such coloration was not what they expected.

Slowly as the cradle formed itself into a nest, they began to see the angel Lucifer had made.

A head of dark curls. A body far smaller than his own. A pair of wings, not only brown but bearing streaks and stripes like a sparrow’s. His features were unique, his face and form unlike no other Lucifer had seen.

And then, slowly, as if being awoken from a deep sleep. Red eyes opened.

"Sandalphon."

"...Lucifer."

* * *

Things would be okay. As okay as they could be. Belial and Lucilius had been taken away by the speaker, and the starving void they had been consumed by was hanging open, a salivating maw of reflective light.

Things would be okay, until they weren't.

It was obvious the vessel would be rigged. They should've known that. Even still.

Even so.

The Grandcypher was so close. Victory. _Safety_. A chance to enjoy the world they saved.

A scream. 

He couldn't let her die. He wouldn't. He would save her, as they'd saved him.

He was going to die for it. But he succeeded, didn't he? He fulfilled Lucifer's will, hadn't he? 

The world remains, and Lucilius does not. 

"Never let go of their hands." He said, using every ounce of himself to propel her backward. 

What a hypocrite he was.

In turn, he succumbed to the void as well. He'd convinced himself. It's better this way.

And then he felt _him_.

All around him, surrounding him, enveloping him and bleeding through to his very core.

Lucifer.

Maybe…

Maybe they had gone to the same place.

Perhaps… perhaps they would sleep together then.

But then all at once, he felt it leaving.

_ "No!" _ He screamed out into nothingness, no voice, no words, silent.

Gradually, as if draining through a siphon, he felt Lucifer leaving him.

_ "No! You can't! You can't! Not after- not after everything!" _

What once was a deep ocean, now felt as though a shrinking pond.

_ "Please!" _ he sobbed, knowing that whatever was left of Lucifer, was disappearing.  _ "Please you- you can't leave me alone!" _

The last few drops, pulling into space.

_ "Don't leave me behind!" _

…

…?

A rush of cool air overtook him, and it felt as if he was forcing himself to learn how to breathe again.

The warmth of Lucifer had left him. And yet. He hadn't gone. He could feel him still. He could feel him… nearby.

He was alive.

They both were.

He struggled to reclaim control over his body, each part of his form suddenly feeling incredibly weak.

What had happened to him?

He reached for the wings he'd been bestowed. The Primarchs', Lucifer's, something.

All he found was... his own.

Finally, and with great effort, he began to stir.

Even though it felt as though he was pushing back islands, he opened his eyes.

And-

"Sandalphon."

_ No. _

"...Lucifer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOO BOY. Alright, I've had this thing baking in the oven since May. In fact I'd go so far as to say it got burnt up and I'm currently trying to resurrect it by uploading it as a means of motivation? It's currently unfinished but I have general plans laid out for how it's meant to go.  
> Because of the time difference, some of the writing in the first few chapters may be a bit janky and dramatic, so please excuse any quality changes that occur.
> 
> I'll be changing the rating and adding tags and relationships as time goes on and more characters are brought into the story. I will tell you ahead of time that it's LuciSan and SariBeli endgame, with a tentative Lucilius/Helel. Their whole situation may actually be a companion piece to this, because it went off the rails in its own direction.
> 
> Anyway ginormous props to my creative partner, beta reader, and all around best friend: Claire. Wouldn't have made half the content I have if it wasn't for them being there to brainstorm.
> 
> Comments are much appreciated, let me know what you think!


	2. Opening Cutscene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandalphon has a panic attack, Lucilius and Belial have a conversation.  
> 

Sandalphon sits upon the feathery cushion left behind by the cradle, in shock. It was Lucifer. He was right there.

His whole world felt constricted.

Without even recognizing the scene for what it is, Sandalphon struggles himself off of the cradle and down to the floor below. He realizes far too late that he's completely unaccustomed to this body, as he feels his legs give.

In a second, he feels arms around him, and him and Lucifer both end up kneeling on the floor. Lucifer having caught him and the momentum having carried them.

"Oh-" Lucifer says, surprised.

He clings to Lucifer, and presses his face against his chest. It's then that Sandalphon realizes his face is wet. He's crying. When did that start?

He finds himself unable to speak, and instead just sits there, clinging, shaking, and crying, silent.

What is this?

What's going on?

This isn't fair.

This can't be real.

This is a nightmare he'll wake up from. 

He'll be back on the Grandcypher, and Lyria will cry, and Djeeta will yell at him for being self sacrificial, and Gran will call him 'birdbrain' and tell him he was stupid for pulling a stunt like that. And they'll all smile because they're together and things are okay.

But he isn't on the Grandcypher.

He's here, naked, sitting collapsed on some tiled floor, and crying on someone who is Lucifer but can't be.

There has to be something he can do.

But then he feels his blood run cold, and a chill runs up his spine. He instinctively pulls his wings in towards himself, and feels his feathers begin to stand on edge.

"...Wow." Says a voice Sandalphon never wanted to hear again.

Lucilius. Is he...?

Sandalphon doesn't sense any of Lucifer's stolen power. If anything he senses-

_Lucilius before he died._

He feels Lucifer remove one of the arms cradling Sandalphon against him, and make a movement.

Someone puts a blanket over him, he hears a brief flurry of muttering from across the room, and the door opens and closes.

Things are quiet for a few seconds, and Sandalphon struggles to catch his breath. Massive white wings, _Lucifer's wings_ , curl forward around the two of them.

"Sandalphon, are you alright?"

* * *

Belial was expecting to see a number of things from Lucifer's creation. He's seen many archangels emerge from their cradle but… never quite like that.

Sandalphon had emerged from his cradle with a sort of ancient grief emanating off of him. Sandalphon emerged from his cradle with tears pouring down his face. Sandalphon, who had only been alive for a few seconds, already seemed to understand pain.

Though Belial didn't know the exact specifics of Lucifer's design philosophy, it was clear to him that he must have done something drastically different to the norm. Sandalphon's aura matched that of your typical archangel. And yet, the vibe he gave off was nothing of the sort.

Shortly after Belial had hushed Lucilius out of the room with him, Lucilius spoke up.

"I suppose that's going to be a side effect then."

"Hm?" Belial hummed, "Of what?"

"The empty space inside him."

Now that was intriguing.

"Would you explain it to me, 'Cilius?" Belial asked, knowing full well Lucilius would take the chance to rant.

"I may not have been involved in designing the… aesthetics." Lucilius grimaced, "But I was consulted on Lucifer's designs for his core."

Belial nodded along, wondering just what about Sandalphon's insides differed so drastically from his creator's.

"He's hollow inside."

"Pardon?"

"His core, it's an outer barrier with a hollow cavern inside, designed to pick up and hold whatever powers are deigned to be held within it."

"Ah… but then that means-" Lucilius cuts him off.

"He can serve whatever purpose you put inside him. Be that taking energy from other angels to substitute his own, or holding foreign power inside until it is usable."

_"Ah."_ Belial thought to himself, _"How cruel."_

"And that explains his reaction?" Belial asks, already knowing the answer.

"A natural one, when you have a hole inside of yourself you don't know how to fill."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all don't mind the little addition/modification we made to the canon lore. I guess in other words: Primals make pacts with islands, objects, or domains. Sometimes they make pacts with humans. In Sandalphon's case, he is somewhat similar to a human in ability to pact or receive power from a primal. Except: the only thing limiting how many pacts he can maintain and how much power he can contain inside himself is the strength and durability of his core. This is an explanation for why he's able to so easily steal the powers of the four primarchs in canon, as well as why he would make a suitable replacement for Lucifer to begin with. Just pluck Lucifer's wings off and smack them on Sandalphon and bam! Inferior but usable copy.
> 
> In addition, Lucilius is totally attributing Sandy's panic attack to the wrong thing. His core design has little to no effect on his personality. It does mess with his sensitivity towards other primals a bit, but not drastically.
> 
> Props to Claire again, for helping me get this sorted out in my head.


	3. Exposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandalphon struggles to come to terms with his situation. Lucifer tries his best.

“Sandalphon?” Lucifer asks again, gently pushing Sandalphon back by the shoulders to look at him.

Sandalphon forces his feelings down as best he can, sniffs back a little bit of the snot that had begun to trickle out of his nose, and wipes his eyes.

“Y-yes, I just- what’s going on?” At that, Lucifer smiles.

“Well, though you already seem to know it: your name is Sandalphon, and mine is Lucifer.” Lucifer pulls his wings back and upwards slightly, no longer covering Sandalphon with them. 

Sandalphon misses it.

“You’re an archangel.” Lucifer is gleaming, and Sandalphon remembers this. This moment. Though he was shyly hiding in the nest of his cradle last time, rather than collapsing outwards like a baby bird too big for its perch.

“Welcome to the world, Sandalphon.” Lucifer says, and only now does Sandalphon realize this is probably the biggest smile he’s ever seen on Lucifer’s face.

And this is really happening, isn’t it?

This isn’t just some weird death dream he’s having as he plummets backwards. If he has the clarity to think that, then certainly he would’ve had some sense of that being the case.

This all feels… startlingly real. As he looks around the room and takes in the walls around him, no detail is out of place.

“Are you frightened?” Lucifer asks, and damn it all. He said that the first time too.

Sandalphon supposes he might as well play along for now. Or, well, be honest in this case.

“Yes.” Sandalphon says. Lucifer is still holding him by the shoulders, and Sandalphon properly takes in how close they are.

“That is alright.” Lucifer reassures him, “Living is… frightening.”

Sandalphon’s breath catches, and he struggles to reclaim it for a moment. He pulls the blanket he’d been given tighter around himself. Lucifer lets go of his shoulders, and every movement feels far too intense to him. How long has it been since he’d actually felt Lucifer’s hands on him? Thousands of years, at the very least.

“Would you like me to help you stand up?” Lucifer asks.

“That…” Sandalphon forces himself to steady his voice. “Yes, please.”

Lucifer stands up, and he seems so imposing in front of Sandalphon for a moment, before he crouches to one knee and offers up his hands.

It’s only when Sandalphon takes them and Lucifer pulls that he realizes how accustomed he’d become to the form that bore Lucifer’s wings. The weight distribution is all off, and he pushes himself too far forward.

Lucifer catches him once more, however, and plants his hands squarely on Sandalphon’s barely covered upper arms in order to steady him.

Once he’s stood upright, Lucifer slowly lets go of him, and Sandalphon hurries to pull the blanket back around himself.

“You’re doing very good,” Lucifer says, and Sandalphon wants to bang his head into the wall when he finds himself preening at the praise. “Can you walk?”

Sandalphon takes a few shaky steps before figuring himself out. Walking on bare feet was strange for him to say the least.

“Very good.” Lucifer says again, and before he can ask Sandalphon to test out other simple body movements and praise him for nothing, Sandalphon interrupts him.

“I’m naked.”

“You’re-” Lucifer starts, before realizing what Sandalphon means. “Ah. So you are.”

Sandalphon has the blanket pulled to its limits. Even so, he tries.

“Would you like some clothes, then?” Lucifer asks.

“Um.” And Sandalphon realizes just then how differently he spoke and acted when he was a newborn. He does his best to course correct accordingly. “Yes, please.”

Lucifer walks across the room, and pulls out a bundle of cloth which Sandalphon recognizes.

It’s that godawful poncho and shorts combination they used to make all the new angels wear while they were getting their clothing sorted.

Great. He’s lost, confused, and now he’s going to look like a gnome with an anxiety disorder.

“This will have to do for now.” Lucifer says, unfolding the outfit for him.

“Right.” Sandalphon says, working very hard not to let his violent dislike of the offending fabric show on his face.

Once he’s clothed and able to move freely, Lucifer asks him to come with him, and as they walk he begins a familiar long rambling speech. Sandalphon remembers him doing this all those years ago, after he’d managed to coax him out of the cradle and into some clothes. They were stationary last time, he’d been too scared to go anywhere.

Originally, Sandalphon had listened intently, hanging off every word.

Now, Sandalphon can’t help but start to zone out a few sentences in. It’s not that he’s bored of Lucifer, it’s that there is very much he has yet to think about in this situation.

If this is some kind of illusion, it is an expertly well crafted one. Canaan around him seems perfectly to match its appearance over two millennia ago, a sight which very few people would be able to make. Unless the illusion is pulling from his own memories? But even Sandalphon’s memories are not this clear. He can recognize the sight when he sees it, but recalling it like this is entirely another endeavor.

Besides, if this is simply an illusion or a lapse in consciousness, why was Lucifer able to so easily conform to the differences? When Sandalphon was first created, he hadn’t even realized there was anyone else in the room besides Lucifer. They’d left before he’d stepped out of his cradle. Lucilius didn’t speak. Sandalphon hadn’t spoken this much either.

Everything seemed far too natural. Far too real.

“-each Archangel, regardless of how many wings they carry, is charged with a task, a purpose, which they dedicate themselves to.”

Before, Sandalphon stayed silent throughout this speech. Now, he feels the need to interrupt. 

“What is mine?” Sandalphon asks. Maybe it’s just because he wants to see what happens. And maybe it’s because some spiteful part of himself still wants to see Lucifer uncomfortable.

“Ah.” Lucifer makes a noise as he has to reform his train of thought, “Your purpose?”

“Yes.” 

Lucifer’s pace slows, and he looks to be in thought for a few seconds.

“Well,” he starts, and then he smiles. “You weren’t made with one.”

And that’s… 

Lucifer must’ve seen the look on his face, because he continues.

“Sandalphon, you’re not like other archangels.” Lucifer says, his wings gently shifting behind him as he turns to face Sandalphon more fully.

“What?” Sandalphon asks, genuinely confused as to where this is going. Of course he wasn’t. He was made simply for the sake of creating something, brought into this world the same way any old skydweller would be. Confused, purposeless, and searching.

“You aren’t like other archangels, because you can choose for yourself. You can fulfill whatever role you want to, or whatever role is necessary.” Lucifer smiles proudly, “You have freedom, Sandalphon.”

Oh.

He’d never really thought of it that way before.

Of course. Lucifer hadn’t created him to be burdened. He wasn’t designed to be useless. He never had been.

“I… get to choose my role?” He asks, and of course he could. How stupid was he when he was younger to think that Lucifer wouldn’t allow him to. To think that Lucifer wouldn’t try his hardest to let him pursue a purpose he enjoyed. But instead, Sandalphon had assumed himself too lowly, too insignificant to decide his own purpose. Somewhere along the line he’d figured he could only wait, and that whatever purpose he’d been assigned would be a perfect fit, that it would be fulfilling. That the only way he could be happy would be to have someone else deliver it to his feet.

He hadn’t realized that life could be what you made of it until he… 

Until he joined the Grandcypher.

He had to get back. Even if this dreamlike alternate reality was appealing. Even if he was having the idea of a second attempt dangled over his head. Even if there was a chance he could be with Lucifer again. At the very least he… 

At the very least he needed to speak with Gran and Djeeta again.

At the very least he needed to see them.

At the very least he… 

He needed to apologize to Lyria.

  
  
  


But how?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry about the massive gap in upload dates between this chapter and the last one. College admissions + Genshin Impact + Dark U&F has just taken my free time and thrown it in a blender. (Speaking of Genshin, if any of you are into that you should totally go read Claire's fic, lessons in living. It's a comedy modern AU that still retains the gods/magic elements. Here's a link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600578/chapters/67521731)
> 
> If you have any questions or want to shoot the shit about this, go ahead and harass me on twitter, I'm on @dracularian_ right now. Otherwise, comments and critiques are much appreciated!


End file.
